The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticized President Bola Tinubu for travelling overseas while Nigeria faces a severe terrorism crisis, citing a new international report that ranks the country fourth globally for terrorist impact.
The accusation follows the release of the 2026 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), which placed Nigeria among the top five nations responsible for approximately 70% of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide. The report, produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace, provides a comprehensive measure of terrorism’s direct and indirect impact.
In a statement, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the ranking was unsurprising to Nigerians but accused the administration of neglect. “People who promised and were elected to secure our country are travelling abroad, whilst terrorists are killing and kidnapping citizens rampantly,” the statement read.
The party further claimed that insecurity under President Tinubu’s tenure has become a “trillion-naira economy,” implying the scale of resources lost to the crisis. It urged the president and security chiefs to implement a proactive, whole-of-society strategy, reiterating that the primary duty of government is the protection of lives and property—a task it alleged the administration has failed.
The GTI report underscores Nigeria’s persistent and severe challenge with terrorism, a problem driven for over a decade by groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), alongside rising incidents of banditry and kidnapping in the northwest and north-central regions.
The PDP’s criticism highlights the political pressure on the Tinubu administration to demonstrate tangible results in national security. The intersection of a poor international terrorism ranking with allegations of presidential absenteeism frames security as a central and urgent governance issue, with the party declaring that “Nigerians are tired of being killed for no reason.”
The significance of the GTI placement lies in its quantitative reinforcement of Nigeria’s ongoing security emergency, demanding not only domestic policy responses but also sustained international attention and cooperation.
